I feel guilty...

You owed up to it, faced the truth, so no beating yourself up anymore....

I used to LOVE pizza...was my fav food ever...but at one month out, I never would have thought about eating it....I'd be afraid of popping the staples or stitches or something.  I still have not tried it, and because of the white carbs, probably for a long long time.  My confession - about 2 weeks ago I went to a Red Lobster...ordered the broiled shrimp, etc...ate some of the salad first, then those damn cheese biscuits came out.  I had already decided I was going to eat the crust of one...and did.  I enjoyed it immensely...but it filled me up, and I had to take all the shrimp and rest of salad home...(left the rest of biscuits for my friend).  I am very aware of how often (which is not often) I go 'off track', and keep to my food routine for weeks on end before I may deviate again.  If it starts happening more often, I know I'll have to put on the brakes so that things don't get out of control.  Planning is key...so you are right to check menus before going out, then stick to your choice and don't be swayed.

Last night I also had Italian food...ordered eggplant rollatini - ate one there, brought the other 3 home for 3 other meals :)

be good to yourself, and good luck!
sophie

 

I live alone.  Instead of saying that it is hard to cook for one, change the story. It is challenging.  It is not hard.  Cooking for people who are not on your plan would really suck!

The challenge is that you can easily get into a rut because it takes so long to run out of food because you eat in such small portions. Some things may go bad before you finish them (i.e. eggs). Avoid the rut with seasoning and having a variety of ways of preparing and eating the same food.

I buy the smallest package of skinless chicken thighs (or chicken tenders). Sometimes I divide them up before I cook them. Most of the time, I cook them in one batch seasoned 2 ways.  I usually season half with Italian seasoning and the other half with Cajun or Mexican seasoning. Divide up the servings. Depending on the number of servings, I may freeze some.

I have had the butcher to repackage an item into 2-3 smaller packages that I still purchased.  When repackaged by the butcher, it survived the freezer better than just putting the meat in a ziploc bag. I cook what I want and put the rest in the freezer.

Sargento reduced fat cheese sticks were a staple at one month out.  (Any other brand for me is inedible.)

I boil 3-4 eggs at a time. They can be used for breakfast or snack.

Make tuna and divide into servings. Make a frittata that you can eat on for 3 mornings.

 

Btw, many years ago I lived with my mother as a struggling college student. I used to cook healthy food and she would eat it up and replace it with unhealthy food. I was too broke to replace the unhealthy food. I would literally buy groceries on Sunday and all of the healthy food was gone by Wednesday. Then I would come home and find that she fried the last bit of meat that I had left. You don't have that problem.

Bottom line: I had to rise to the challenge of cooking for one without wasting food or getting caught in a rut.

You've received excellent advice, so I think I'll limit my comments to your feelings of guilt. This is the kind of thinking that held many of us as slaves to failure in the past. Why not try reframing the experience to a 'teachable moment' by reflecting on your own thinking and actions, particularly how things can be different next time. You're on track again, so march forward with the results of your reflexion and learning, my friend.

If you have not already, check out Frisco's blog Cafe Frisco (just google lapsf cafe frisco).  GREAT recipes, sized right for cooking for 1 post-sleeve eater, and they are easy and delicious.  I recommend the greek chicken, thai chicken with peanut sauce--well, really everything I've tried has been delicious and quick.